A 25-year-old polar bear at the Denver Zoo was euthanized last week because of “severe” declining health, zoo officials announced today.

Soosha, a female bear, “began to show increased joint pain, decreased mobility and lethargy the past few months,” the Denver Zoo said in a media release. “Although she received medications for her joint pain, she did not return to her normal self.”

Eventually, Soosha began declining food and had quit eating altogether.

“It is always difficult to make this type of decision,” Denver Zoo Vice President of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Scott Larsen said in the release. “As hard as it is, this was the right thing to do.”

Kieran Nicholson covers breaking news for The Denver Post. He started at the Post in 1986, at the old building on 15th and California streets. Nicholson has covered a variety of beats including suburbs, courts, crime and general assignment.

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